When we slap down plenty of our hard-earned dollars for a gadget, any gadget really, we expect that gadget to do everything we want. That’s an absolute truth. We read the reviews, we see the display models, and we listen to representatives at any number of retail locations tell us how awesome this one particular gadget is. We do all of this, in hopes that when we take it home and start using it, we won’t have that pesky “buyer’s remorse.” But, there’s something else that can get in the way of a perfectly good purchase, and that’s being “picky.”
You may have been called picky before – but it may have had something to do with food, or clothes, or games or books. It could be anything, really. And when it comes to all of those other things, it can come down to something as simple as you don’t like the taste of a particular piece of food, or you really dislike the way a certain game plays or tells a story. But when it comes to a piece of technology, there are so many different aspects to the total package, that it can be any one specific thing that tips the scale. That scale, of course, is all about whether or not you keep the product, or return it.
To gadgetphiles, the folks out there who love to get all of the gadgets they can whenever they can, that scale is an always present thing. While these folks are willing to spend their money for the newest piece of technology that lands in stores, it has to be worth the money. Actually, more to the point, it has to be worth it to the individual person, and not necessarily “worth the money.” Whether or not it’s worth the money may not even be a factor to some people, because we all know that technology is expensive. There’s just no getting away from that. But, when we get a new laptop, or a new tablet, they have to work the way we want, in each and every specific way we want.
I’ve said in the past that a manufacturer can’t make everyone happy, and that’s not going to change any time soon. And that’s where the individual taste comes in. Someone may love the MacBook Air, and someone else may not like the keyboard. Someone may love the weight of the HP TouchPad, while someone else may hate it. These are things, while seemingly “small” to the average consumer that can make or break a deal. And, depending on how many gadgets you go through in a week, or a month, or even in a day, some of the people you hang out with may call you picky.
But, we’re supposed to be picky, right? I mean, no one likes to be called a name, but come on, we have to be picky. If we weren’t, and people didn’t voice their opinions, then things would never change. The manufacturer would never know how the masses feel on a particular laptop’s keyboard; or video game developers would never hear about bugs in a particular game, and issue a fix. As the consumer, our pickiness means things get done, and things change and get better. If we just accepted everything and anything, and took it for face value, then we’d never push forward innovation or progress. And that’s why it’s perfectly okay to be picky.
I remember, not too long ago, when I went through five different tablets before I found the one I wanted. I’ve gone through multiple devices, phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, all because one specific feature didn’t fit with my usage, or didn’t feel right with every day usage. It happens. But, until you find that perfect device that not only makes you happy right after the purchase, but a few months down the line, you’ll just have to live with being picky and going through plenty of devices. But, that’s really part of the fun, isn’t it? Trying new devices, learning new tricks and using new technology. It’s all part of the fun, and the technology market is plenty of fun.
How many devices have you gone through in a week’s time? And how picky are you when it comes to buying technology? Let me know in the comments below.
